Drillers Begin Reusing 'Frack Water'

Energy Firms Explore Recycling Options for an Industry That Consumes Water on Pace With Chicago

By

Alison Sider,

Russell Gold and

Ben Lefebvre

Updated Nov. 20, 2012 3:56 p.m. ET

Companies are racing to find ways to recycle the water used in hydraulic fracturing, chasing an emerging market that could be worth billions of dollars.

From energy industry giants Halliburton Corp. and Schlumberger Ltd. to smaller outfits such as Ecologix Environmental Systems LLC, companies are pursuing technologies to reuse the "frack water" that comes out of wells after hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking"—the...